Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints, springs).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I was making a right hand turn from a main road onto a side street. While the car was turning, I heard a clunk and the steering wheel was jerked from my hands. The car pulled hard to the right and crashed into the curb. The car was towed to the repair shop and the service tech showed me the engine cradle was completely rusted out and the k frame was cracked all the way thru. It's to rusted to be welded and I was told this is a common problem with the Cruiser and Dodge neon, since they use the same frame. The tech also told me I was lucky that I wasn't moving at high speed or the results could have been fatal. He also told me that Chrysler is aware of this problem, they are completely out of replacement parts, and they basically ignore any complaints.
While driving the vehicle pulled the steering wheel hard to the right. We were driving slow in town, had this happened at highway speed a wreck would have been unavoidable . Got the vehicle towed home and took a look at it . Found the front sub frame (to which the steering gear, lower control arms and such are bolted to) had rusted to the point that it cracked , on the right hand side. This allowed the right lower control arm to shift backward causing the death pull to the right.
"Takata recall " in my PT Cruiser the engine dropped down in the car and the front axle bar and frame was broken and the wheels could not turn or control the car I am lucky to be alive the vehicle was in motion on a city street trying to turn into a ice cream shop the car is still doing a sudden jerking when driven and after paying a lot of money to get it started and fixed I am still having problems with this car and no money to get another.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 chrsyler PT Cruiser. While driving at any speed, the front end of the vehicle made a loud noise. The contact stated that the cross member frame had rusted out. The VIN was excluded from NHTSA campaign number: 16V387000 (suspension). The dealer was notified, but the vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
On my 2001 PT Cruiser both lower control arm bushings pulled loose from the arm which caused the car to shake violently while my wife was driving. When I took the car into the repair shop they brought me out to the car and showed me the damage to the control arms. Oddly enough there was another PT Cruiser in the next bay that had the very same problem. The owner of the repair shop told me he had put control arms on at least 40 PT cruisers in the past year. I asked him if he had notified Chrysler about the problem and he said he had contacted them on behalf of his customers and Chrysler insisted that there was no problems with the lower control arms. My PT Cruiser has 60,000 miles on it and the car that was next to mine had 34,000 miles on the odometer. As a result of this condition the front tires on my car were destroyed due to violent shaking of the front end. …
I bought a car from north coast auto mall and it had a lot of suspension problems. They ensured me that they would fix these issues if I bought the car. After buying the car, they have had me in and out of their shop 4 or 5 times to which they only lube the parts or lie to me claiming that the car has been fixed. I feel that this business practice is unsafe and misleading. They claimed to have replaced a control arm to which Goodyear later (when I was buying tires) informed me that my control arms were bad. I was surprised to hear this. North coast should be investigated as they are selling unsafe cars, claiming to repair issues and then putting me in an unsafe car. 30 claims have been made about similar issues via the better business bureau, the federal trade commission and the ohio attorney general. I feel that they should be investigated for safety reasons.
While driving at 30 miles an hour, the front suspension cross-member broke as a result of severe rust. This caused the right front wheel to steer towards the ditch creating a significant safety hazard. The rust was caused by water draining from the air conditioner onto the passenger's side of the cross-member. I have attempted to order a replacement part from Chrysler but so far the outlook for delivery has changed four times and is currently estimated for 12/25/2013 (2.5 months after the car became inoperable). Not only does Chrysler ignore the numerous reports of this commonly reported design flaw, they are proving to be incapable at providing replacement parts. This is evident as I am one of 28 car owners who are waiting for this part from Chrysler, and there is high demand for this part from junkyards.
Dt: the consumer stated the front end of the vehicle did not respond to a quick turn in either direction. The consumer took the vehicle the to dealership for an inspection and discovered that both front tie rod ends were worn and would not pass inspection. In addition the control arm had lost a bushing which created a knocking noise. The consumer has replaced tie rod ends as well as the control arm bushing. Dealer noted this was a common problem with the PT Cruiser and this was a design flaw. The consumer contacted the manufacturer and they denied there was an issue with the PT Cruiser and that all cars have grease fittings called "zirks" since repairs no problems as of yet. This failure occurred 32,191 miles. Chrysler did say they would reimburse $150 for the tie rods ends but that was all.
-steering wheel began shaking while driving car and steering became very loose. Pulled into a pep boys and was told that the front control arms and bearings needed to be replaced (the car had 75K miles). I was told that this was a very common defect with these cars and that a recall should have been warranted. $1200 repair and car started shaking again 50K miles later. -continuous oil consumption. I put a quart of oil every two weeks in the car. I have had the car completely tuned by a family member who is a certified mechanic, and it still eats oil. I mentioned this to the repair technician who did the controls arms and bearings, and he confirmed that this was also a common problem with these cars. Many of the websites I went on to research this have hundreds of the same comments for both issues.
The lower control arm bushings are failing on the PT cruisers. This is causing a loss of control of the vehicle if they get bad enough. The lower control arm bushing is separating and allowing the control arm to drop down and hit the frame. The occurrence is happening to many of my car club members and members of the PT forum I frequent. And a lot of them still have low mileage on the vehicles. This is a control problem and poorly designed (bad rubber) design that needs to be addressed as soon as possible. We have managed to catch the fuel line rub thru problem and dc has taken care of that. But now this problem needs to be addressed also.. This isn't just concening the USA models but also the models in other countries. Ak
Suspension complaints in other PT Cruiser years
Frequently asked questions
How common are suspension problems on the 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser?
NHTSA has 66 complaints about the suspension of the 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser, 11% of the model year's 618 complaints. The component named most often is front › control arm › lower arm (20 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser suspension problems?
No. NHTSA lists no suspension recall for the 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser, though it has 5 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser suspension problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 56,000 miles, and 8% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to suspension problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.